18380 



Report on the MacJcenzie Manuscripts. 



243 



This is a copy in verse, without prose commentary, of the above 

 mentioned, and highly celebrated, work ; which, by common consent, 

 among natives, seems to rank first in ethical poetry even as Camhan^s 

 Ramdyanam ranks first in epic, or heroic, poetry. Among Hindus there 

 are enumerated four kinds or sources of happiness, termed respectively 

 aramy pond, inbam, vedu ; or benevolent virtue, property, sensual-plea- 

 sure,, eternal bliss. Tiruvalluvar wrote on the three former ; referring 

 to the other occasionally throughout. This copy contains the three di- 

 visions of his work ; it is complete, and in exceedingly good order ; 

 wearing the appearance of having been copied out but a few years since. 



In Or. Hist. MSS. vol. 1, p. 177 — 179, a few cursory remarks were 

 made respecting Tiruvalluvar, and his celebrated work. It may suffice, 

 in the present discharge of my duty, to refer to them. The manuscript 

 is entered in Des. Cat. vol. 1. p. 232, art. LXVI. wherein the author is 

 highly honoured in being termed " the divine- FaZ/^a'ar." A lengthen- 

 ed extract is added from Mr. Ellis's version of a part of the Cural. Mr. 

 Ellis was a learned, and a laborious, editor ; but yet not a fit editor, as 

 allowing his own prepossessions and prejudices to appear prominent on 

 almost every page. Apparently his views were not based on the alone 

 foundation of true morality. 



21. N'iti-sdram, or the marrow of morality. No. 187. — Countermark 

 189. 



This book contains fifty-two poetical stanzas with a prose rendering 

 in plain language ; the subject being sententious moral maxims. It is 

 indicated that the work is a sort of centum ; the matter being selected 

 from various other productions, and here presented in a connected 

 form. The compiler's name does not appear ; and it is uncertain whe- 

 ther the work is complete at the end. It has many orthographical 

 faults ; but easily susceptible of correction, if at any time edited, and 

 published. The native moral sentences are usually rather inane. Still 

 it is desirable to know what their books can alFord, on the subject; and 

 in this point of viev/, this one might possibly merit translation. 



It is entered in the Des. Catal. vol. 1, p. 232, art. LXII, and is 

 stated to contain moral precepts by Sivdgnyanaprakdsa, 



22. (1) t7f;«wa?2« sflw^r«7m, epitome of metaphors. (2) Ratna-ChurU" 

 I n.m — gems of verse, No. 188,-~Counterraark 190, 



